We’re past the midway point of 2022 reading and I’ve already read more books in 6 months than I did all of 2021. Sure some weeks and months are busier than others, different variables…but this year I’ve been making a conscious effort to read more.

How? I’ve been trying to pick up my book instead of my phone when I have any sort of free time, even if it’s just a page or two. When my kids are occupied, in between other tasks, while waiting for my grocery order, you name it.

I also started going up to bed a bit earlier intentionally to read, watching one less episode, trying not be on my phone past a certain time at night. Not every night, but definitely more than in the past.

This year I’m fitting more reading into my daily routine – and reading lots of great books in the process.

Here are the books I’ve read so far!

A young journalist, Monique Grant, is chosen for an exclusive interview with an old Hollywood movie star & legend: Evelyn Hugo.

In the opportunity of a lifetime, Grant learns more about Hugo, & herself, than anyone’s ever known. But what should she do with what she’s learned, with the story of a lifetime?

The chapters are titled by none other than the seven husbands & the story spans decades of life changing secrets.

Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a fictional story that’s both juicy & thoughtful, light & heavy, all at the same time.

This one was recommended to me by a good friend & I’ve since seen lots of other good reviews & recommendations for it. Add it to your To Read List to learn the answer to the burning question: who was the absolute love of Evelyn Hugo’s life?

*Since my original review I’ve seen a review from a reader who, not only didn’t love this one, but shared an upsetting observation about Reid’s treatment of characters of color. I would still recommend this book, but think good for readers to be aware and think about the story from this perspective.

This is the second book by Gabrielle Union, both of which I loved.

Reading her books really is like talking over drinks with a great friend, where anything & everything is on the table, when you stop trying to be put together or polite or appropriate, & you get real, you get deep, & go there.

That’s when the truth comes out & the problems of the world are revealed. While I have always been a fan of hers, it’s deeper now.

Union shares about her marriage, children, & her health – physical & mental. She throws in some fun stories that include famous friends.

She talks about gender identity & race. She talks about being a woman, a Black woman, a stepmom & working mom in her industry & in general in the U.S.

For those of us who may think we know, or understand, that we’re allies, there is always more to learn.

It’s always interesting to hear other people’s stories, but it’s especially important to listen & learn from those who have experienced things that we haven’t, that we may not have known existed had we not heard their story.

If you already love her, you will love her more. If you’re not familiar, you’ll get there fast.

Union uses her voice unapologetically to discuss, educate, & relate through her experiences.

She’s saying ‘you’re not alone’ & ‘hey, this is some bullshit’ while sharing intimate stories from her life.

Pick this one up for your next read or add to your reading list!

Nothing like Pulitzer Prize Winner stamped on the cover to illicit expectations on a piece of writing.

From the beginning, I was intrigued: a Pulitzer Prize winning story set during WWII era, switching between protagonists, & time periods.

Doerr’s writing certainly lived up to the acclaim. He beautifully detailed the different worlds of Marie-Laure & Werner.

One French, blind, raised by a single father with keys to a museum.

The other German, an orphan with a talent for fixing radios, & a yearning for a better life.

Both with a passion for learning & seeing beyond what the average eye may gleam.

I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction fans, however I’m not sure how much I love it…like an Oscar nominated film, I appreciate the intricacies, the talent behind it, but it may not be something you truly enjoyed.

Even as I typed this however, I thought what a good story it was. So, clearly a great book!

This book is intriguing & heartbreaking in so many ways. While I loved the storytelling & switching between character viewpoints, I wanted more.

The Vignes sisters are twins form a small Black town in the south where color is everything & the lighter you are, the better.

When the sisters run away to the city, one of them passes for a white woman & their lives are never the same.

The twins end up living separate lives & have daughters as different as can be…who don’t know one another exist until their paths fatefully cross.

There are things I wanted to happen, conversations I wanted to take place, that didn’t. But perhaps that’s what makes the story more real…the infuriating reality in which we can’t make others do better, say more, or share what’s really going on.

The story exemplifies the realistic inability to choose where you come from & what has happened to you, while at the same time exploring the powerful ability to move forward.

Themes of race, colorism, gender, class & family.

I definitely recommend adding this captivating novel to your To Read List!

This is another must read for historical fiction fans. The story takes place around 1896 during Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain.

Cleeton tells the stories of three women:

1. An American journalist, Grace Harrington, forging her own path against societal norms & family expectations.
2. A Cuban wife & mother, Marina Perez, whose family disowned her after she chose to marry “below their social circle”.
3. Evangelina Cisneros, a Cuban revolutionary wrongly imprisoned by the Spanish, who becomes an international celebrity.

All three women are extremely daring & brave in their own rights. Perez & Harrington both play a role in attempting to free Cisneros; the women eventually crossing paths with one another, their stories merging amidst the fight for independence.

There are the heartbreaking details of war, but there are also stories of love.

I typically love when a story switches between points of view & time periods, but this one started a bit slow for me. The first few chapters were so rich in character development & backstory, which was great, but it was a bit hard to follow/remember at first when reading little bits at a time.

Once I got a bit further into the novel it picked up & I became more engrossed in the story, unable to put it down.

This novel is based on the true story of Evangelina Cisneros which makes it even more captivating.

Add it to your library holds or online shopping cart for your next read!

This is another book that I continued to see review for & had on my To Read List for quite a while. I wish I would have read it sooner.

It’s about a young Black woman named Emira & a middle aged white woman named Alix.

Emira isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life, but realizes one thing: she likes being Briar’s babystitter, & she’s good at it.

Alix, aka Briar’s mom Mrs. Chamberlain, isn’t sure how to adjust to life as a mom outside of New York City & is struggling to make her next career move.

One night the Chamberlains call Emira & ask her to take Briar to the grocery store while they deal with something at home. The events of that night effectively change things thereafter for everyone involved.

Reid excellently brings her characters to life through vivid detail. She illustrates how two things & people, can both be right, while also in the wrong, at the same time.

Issues of race, class, & gender. Such a Fun Age explores the complexities of our cultural dynamics & individual human emotions.

This is a must read!

This novel follows the love story of Joe & Cate. He’s from a wealthy famous family. She’s from an abusive lower-middle class one. One a lawyer, one a model, both lost their fathers at a young age. Both want to escape the shadow of their family.

Giffin takes the time to show us who our main characters are through his & her chapters before Joe & Cate inevitably meet.

From there I was rooting for them & hoping for a happy ending. I hadn’t read a book like this in awhile so it was refreshingly easy to devour, like a favorite treat.

As a fan of Giffin’s work, & excited about my advance reader’s copy, I was worried I may have hyped this one up too much for myself. BUT, not to worry! I genuinely loved this modern love story, loosely based on the Kennedys (specifically JFK Jr. & Caroyn Bessett-Kennedy.)

It goes without saying that any novel based on true events or real people is immediately more interesting. I also love gaining insight into an author’s inspiration behind a story.

Giffin delivers not only a great novel, but that extra content & meaning that makes this book a special stand out among her other (all great) novels.

Thank you again to Ballantine Books & Random House for an advanced reader’s edition!

This is a funny & insightful memoir told through a collections of essays.

Thomas takes us through his childhood in Baltimore, where he was one of very few Black kids at his private school. Then on to his collegiate years at Columbia, & into his adult life, finding himself as a single gay Christian man in Philadelphia.

Thomas shares how he struggled with feelings of always being somehow different & what it meant to be Black, gay, Christian – & how those identities conflicted & intertwined in his self discovery & life experiences.

I always enjoy reading about experiences that are different from my own, but admittedly don’t seek out many male perspectives.

When it comes to memoirs, I tend to gravitate towards females of whom I’m already a fan. I’m so glad I mixed it up & read something different this time!

Thomas is a comedic writer who has added television writer & playwright to his credits over the years. He was previously a senior staff writer for Elle.com where he had a regular column about current events & culture.

Vhat? Your money is coming. I told you. Relax, I have the money. The wire is on its way.

If you’ve seen the Netflix series then you read that in the Anna Delvey voice. If you haven’t seen it yet, then, like, vhat are you doing? Watch it already.

This is one that I actually would recommend watching BEFORE reading so that you can have the immense pleasure of hearing the accent & seeing the cast in your head as your read the book.

Don’t know vhat I’m talking about? Do you even have Netflix? Ugh. Watch it already.

This book was great for the viewer that wants more & is curious of another side of the Anna Delvey story.

I have to admit I went into it having a certain opinion of Rachel from the show. There was a lot more shared in the book, however, that wasn’t in the show, along with some things that were different than how they were portrayed by Netflix.

For instance, Rachel had a boyfriend the whole time. I found that to be a particularly interesting detail that Netflix chose to change…like they thought it was a better story or more dramatic if she didn’t have that relationship?

Anyvays, get yourself a copy of this book, but, like aaafter you vatch the show. Ok? Great.

I loved this debut novel & let me just say it here first: this book would make an excellent rom com movie!

In this novel we follow a successful Indian woman, Manny Dogra, as she navigates love, business & being Indian American.

Growing up an only child her parents pushed assimilation to American culture. As a result, Manny didn’t experience much Indian culture or traditions, including holidays & big family gatherings. She didn’t have Indian friends, let alone boyfriends.

When a new client is desperate for her help in the business of breakups, she sees an opportunity to learn more about her heritage, & what it may “mean to be Indian”, by attending a large Indian wedding.

Full of fun, romance, & family, Singh also touches on loss, as Manny come to terms with grief she hadn’t previously allowed herself to feel.

This is a satisfying romantic story about finding oneself, embracing your roots & being proud of who you are. It’s also full of rich Indian culture & characters that show Manny that, despite the many traditions & expectations, there is no one way to be Indian.

I highly recommend adding this one to your To Read List, requesting from the library or buying to start reading right away!

I liked this book but questioned whether maybe I had read it before & not remembered. (The pub date was 2018, the year I had my youngest kiddo. If I did actually read it, it makes sense that it would be a bit hazy.)

Whether I read it before or not, I loved the storytelling. Although I thought I had solved the mystery early on, I was surprised by some details & appreciated the twists revealed.

Hilderbrand switches time frames quite a bit, giving back story while continuing forward in the present. I had to double check which year & day I was reading a few times & remind myself where we were at in the timeline. Overall, I do like this style, but it can be hard when reading short snippets here & there.

There’s a fancy Nantucket wedding, a ‘who done it’ mystery, forbidden love, romance, friendship, family, & an affair or two.

I would definitely recommend this as an enjoyable summer read.

Why am I wearing this hat? Well, there’s a character wearing a green hat in an important moment (that she thinks makes her look like a Leprakaun) & there’s a Scotsman. So maybe it works?

This is another great historical fiction novel & a must read. Published in 2017, this one had been on my To Read List for quite awhile as well!

Jumping between 1947 & 1915, Quinn weaves together the stories of two women: a young British spy in the first World War & an American college girl after the second one.

The Alice Network is based on real people who served in the World Wars, not just in theory, but the specific women & men who created & led a large network of spies across Europe, working to help free people from the Germans.

I loved this book. It was funny, heart wrenching, educational, & a bit sexy all at the same time.

In a time when women were expected to wed, then have babies, these women dared to make a life of their own, bravely, in the pursuit of helping others & finding their own happiness.

Make it your next read if you haven’t read it yet!

It’s been a great year of reading so far. I plan to keep it going by doing the following things:

• keeping my current read nearby to easily grab when able
• taking a book with me everywhere ‘just in case’
• being more open and flexible as to when I think I can read
• being willing to read shorter bits at a time
• swapping some TV and phone time for reading
• and lastly, trying some audio books!

I hope you check out some of the amazing books above and make time to enjoy. Happy reading!